If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Columbia dam

I grew up in Columbia and from what I heard, as I can remember is that the power plant was privately owned and was bought. They are opening the dam up. This will in turn introduce some new species into our streams. One of the main ones being shad. I’m pretty sure targeting shad out of the Delaware might be illegal but now that they will be swimming locally who knows what the future may bring.
Also this is something I talked to a fly shop owner about a few months ago so some details may be a bit off to be 100% honest.

Re: Columbia dam

Originally Posted by Donnyjf

I grew up in Columbia and from what I heard, as I can remember is that the power plant was privately owned and was bought. They are opening the dam up. This will in turn introduce some new species into our streams. One of the main ones being shad. I’m pretty sure targeting shad out of the Delaware might be illegal but now that they will be swimming locally who knows what the future may bring.
Also this is something I talked to a fly shop owner about a few months ago so some details may be a bit off to be 100% honest.

You are more or less correct. The dam is/was wholly owned by the Division of Fish & Wildlife, but the hydro power generation was privately owned. With his (private individual that owns many hydro power plants) FERC license coming up and knowing we had removed the lower dams on the Musky with American shad, American eels and striped bass (river herring?) coming back to that river and knowing that these fish stacked up each spring below the Columbia dam, he agreed to surrender his license rather than trying to relicense it to allow the state (via The Nature Conservancy) to remove it. You are correct in that anglers cannot target shad in any tribs to the Delaware currently, and the Division will now need to deal with that since they will have 2 large rivers that get tons of angler attention for (mostly) trout each spring when shad will be running up both of them next year. But for now, no targeting shad, and that term "targeting" will be left up to a CO's discretion.

How did people even fish before all these different "set-ups" and special lines. Mid flex rods, full flex, fast, medium slow fast, medium fast slower but still quick...and the different lines....Holy...